Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Danielle's POV:

    FIVE YEARS LATER

California smelt the same, but I wasn’t the same woman who had left five years ago.

The Danielle Jules who’d been dragged through betrayal, humiliation, and the edges

of death no longer existed.

The woman stepping out of the black Rolls Royce in front of Reese Tower was

smarter, richer, and infinitely more dangerous. Dressed in a custom made black silk

with a slit high enough to turn heads.

The paparazzi swarmed the entrance of Reese INC.’s grand opening, their cameras

clicking like a chorus of hungry insects. But I walked through them like someone

who owned the room before she even entered it.

“Miss Jules.” Alexander Reese said, stepping forward with that practiced billionaire

smile. America’s youngest trillionaire, the man whose tech empire stretched across

continents, and the only person in this building who truly knew my story. “Ready to

make history?”

I smirked. “Always.”

Inside, champagne flowed, violins played, and the elite of the elite mingled like they

were trading kingdoms. I was here to announce my partnership with Reese INC., a

deal that would reshape global markets.

As I walked through the crowd, I noticed someone familiar. No, I noticed two familiar

looking people.Squinting my eyes, I was shocked to Barry and Victoria. To still be together with the

woman you cheated on your wife with for this long, only proves that the wife was

actually the problem.

I was the problem.

I was too weak for my own good. I should have rendered poor instead of just pulling

out from his company as his top investor.

My gaze lingered on Victoria who was dressed in emerald silk while her hands

clutched Barry's arms like she owned it.

Meanwhile, Barry looked like he’d aged He had lines on his forehead, that restless

tension in his shoulders but the smug arrogance was still there.

Victoria’s smile faltered the moment her gaze locked with mine and panic flashed in

her eyes, before she smoothed it over with a smirk.

Barry didn’t even recognize me. He glanced my way, gave a polite nod, and went

back to scanning the crowd like a desperate man on a sinking ship—which, judging

from the whispers I’d heard about his failing company, wasn’t far from the truth.

As I walked past them, I caught bits of his conversation with a silver-haired investor.

“…just need a small injection of capital… Madam Elle used to handle all that, but

she vanished…”

If only he knew.

Alexander took the stage, while I waited at a corner. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank

you for joining us for this historic night. And now, I have the honor of introducing our

mystery guest of honor—the woman whose vision has quietly shaped markets and

whose strategies have rebuilt empires. Please welcome… Madam Elle.”

The room erupted into applause.

Barry froze and his eyes swung to me as I stepped forward. “Good evening,” I said

into the microphone, my gaze brushing over him for just a second longer than

necessary.

I watched as his mouth actually fell open, and a smile formed on my lips.

“Eight years ago, I became Madam Elle to secretly support someone who later on

betrayed me.” I began, and everyone went silent. “As Madam Elle, I invested in

companies, rebuilt some from the ground up, and helped turn failing ideas into

global leaders. And the whole time… no one knew who I really was. For a long time,

I thought I’d stay that way until I met Alexander Reese. Over a year ago, he sat

across from me and said. ‘If you want to change the game, do it as yourself and not

as your mask.’ I’ll be honest, it took months to decide if he was worth trusting. And

he was, which is why we’re here tonight. Not as Madam Elle and Alexander Reese.

But as Danielle Jules and Alexander Reese, partners in building something bold

right here in California. This is more than a partnership. It’s proof that no matter how

far you’ve been pushed down, you can stand back up. And when you do, you don’t

just take a seat at the table, you own the table.”

A round of the applause rolled through the room while reporters tried catching every

curve of my smile with their cameras. I let it linger just long enough before leaning

toward the microphone again.

“Thank you.” I said, calmly. “Please, enjoy the evening.”

Another ripple of clapping followed, glasses clinked, and the strings from the corner

orchestra swelled as if on cue. I stepped back, and Alexander was already there,

one hand extended like we’d rehearsed it. I let him guide me down the short steps,

his palm steady against mine, with his other hand lightly touching my back.

We crossed the room, past faces still turned toward me, past murmurs that I didn’t

bother to decipher. And then we reached our table, positioned perfectly beside

Barry’s table. Of course.

I slid into my seat with the ease of someone entirely unbothered, though my

peripheral vision caught Victoria’s rigid posture and the way Barry’s jaw tightened.

Alexander leaned in slightly, murmuring something about the wine list, but I could

feel Barry’s gaze skimming over me.

I didn’t look his way. Not yet.

Tonight, I wasn’t here for him. But I wouldn’t deny him the view.

As the event continued, I could feel Barry's stare burning into me from across the

room. By the time I was done mingling, he was already moving toward me with

Victoria trailing behind like a shadow.

“What the hell is this?” Barry demanded. “You were Madam Elle all this while?”

I smiled faintly. “Hello to you too, Barry.”

“You disappeared. You let me think you were dead.”

I tilted my head. “You didn’t seem too broken up about it.”

Victoria’s fingers dug into his arm. “Barry, let’s not…”

I didn’t even look at her. “Still clinging, I see.”

Barry stepped closer. “Why? Why pretend? You could have…”

“Mommy!” I turned just as two small figures barreled toward me. A boy and a girl,

both with the same dark curls and stubborn chins. My twins. My entire world.

I dropped to my knees as they wrapped their arms around me. “Hey, my lovelies.

Did you have fun with Uncle Alex?”

“Yes!” They chorused.

When I straightened, Barry was staring at them like he’d seen a ghost. His eyes

darted from their faces to mine, back and forth, searching for proof.

“They… they look like me.” He said hoarsely. “Danielle… are they…?”

Five years ago, lying in a hospital bed, the doctor had told me to take time before

making a decision. I had spent hours staring at the ceiling, weighing the life inside

me against the pain Barry had caused. In the end, I had chosen them.

My only family.

Now, standing in this glittering room with his gaze drilling into me, I opened my

mouth to speak…

“They’re mine.” Alexander’s voice cut in smoothly.

Barry whipped around. “What?”

Alexander stepped beside me, his hand brushing mine with casual possession.

“They’re mine and Danielle's children that we had a long time ago in France.”

Barry’s face twisted. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I expect you to understand boundaries.” Alexander said, curtly. “Danielle owes you

nothing. Not now, not ever.”

Victoria tugged on Barry’s arm, but he couldn’t look away from me. “If they’re not

mine, look me in the eye and say it.”

I met his gaze, letting him see the wall I had built, the one he had no power to break

anymore. “They have a father. And it isn’t you.”